Buzzwords: Romney talks in generalities, Obama goes into detail

Beyond the battleships and war horses, what did Barack Obama and Mitt Romney talk about in their foreign policy debate?

A “word cloud” analysis of Monday night’s debate in Boca Raton reveals that the two candidates took a very different approach to persuading voters to back them on Nov. 6.

Romney talked most about the world in general — using words such as “world.” Obama specifically mentioned Israel, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Egypt and China more than the Republican candidate.

Romney also talked about the military more times than Obama, while the president spoke more about leadership.

Romney repeated words than Obama which indicates that he had an arsenal of key phrases and soundbites prepared for debate delivery. But the variety in Obama’s language indicated a greater attention to detail.

A final note: Neither candidate used the word “future” very often. This debate was much more about the present and the past — like those 1917 battleships.

Romney's word cloud from the last debate (Alex Yap/Houston Chronicle)

Obama's word cloud from the last debate (Summer Ballentine/Houston Chronicle)